• Proceedings of the Korean Magnestics Society Conference
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• 2008.12a
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• pp.312.1-312.1
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• 2008

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.290-299
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• 2020

Purpose: Recently, totally laparoscopic gastrectomy has been gradually accepted by surgeons worldwide for gastric cancer treatment. Complete dissection of the lymph nodes and the establishment of the surgical margin are the most important considerations for curative gastric cancer surgery. Previous studies have demonstrated that indocyanine green (ICG)-traced laparoscopic gastrectomy significantly improves the completeness of lymph node dissection. However, it remains difficult to identify the tumor location intraoperatively for gastric cancers that are staged ≤T3. Here, we investigated the feasibility of ICG fluorescence for lymph node mapping and tumor localization during totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy. Materials and Methods: Preoperative and perioperative data from consecutive patients with gastric cancer who underwent a totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy were collected and analyzed. The patients were categorized into the ICG (n=61) or the non-ICG (n=75) group based on whether preoperative endoscopic mucosal ICG injection was performed. Results: The ICG group had a shorter operation time and less intraoperative blood loss. Moreover, significantly more lymph nodes were harvested in the ICG group than the non-ICG group. No pathologically positive margin was found and there was no significant difference in either the proximal or distal surgical margins between the 2 groups. Conclusions: Near-infrared fluorescence imaging with ICG can be successfully used in totally laparoscopic distal gastrectomy, and it contributes to both the completeness of D2 lymph node dissection and confirmation of the gastric transection line. Well-designed prospective randomized studies are needed in the future to fully validate our findings.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.1749-1752
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• 2012

Colorectal cancer (CRC), now the third most common cancer across the world, is known to aggregate in families. USP7 is a very important protein with an important role in regulating the p53 pathway, which is critical for genomic stability and tumor suppression. We here genotyped eight SNPs within the USP7 gene and conducted a case-control study in 312 CRC patients and 270 healthy subjects in the Chinese Han population. No significant associations were found for any single SNP and CRC risk. Our data eliminate USP7 as a potential candidate gene towards for CRC in the Han Chinese population.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.295-305
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• 2017

Purpose: We previously found that the histone methyltransferase suppressor of variegation, enhancer of zeste, trithorax and myeloid-nervy-deformed epidermal autoregulatory factor-1 domain-containing protein 3 (SMYD3) is a potential independent predictive factor or prognostic factor for overall survival in gastric cancer patients, but its roles seem to differ from those in other cancers. Therefore, in this study, the detailed functions of SMYD3 in cell proliferation and migration in gastric cancer were examined. Materials and Methods: SMYD3 was overexpressed or suppressed by transfection with an expression plasmid or siRNA, and a wound healing migration assay and Transwell assay were performed to detect the migration and invasion ability of gastric cancer cells. Additionally, an MTT assay and clonogenic assay were performed to evaluate cell proliferation, and a cell cycle analysis was performed by propidium iodide staining. Furthermore, the expression of genes implicated in the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) pathway and proteins involved in cell cycle regulation were detected by polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. Results: Compared with control cells, gastric cancer cells transfected with si-SMYD3 showed lower migration and invasion abilities (P<0.05), and the absence of SMYD3 halted cells in G2/M phase and activated the ATM pathway. Furthermore, the opposite patterns were observed when SMYD3 was elevated in normal gastric cells. Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence that the absence of SMYD3 could inhibit the migration, invasion, and proliferation of gastric cancer cells and halt cells in G2/M phase via the ATM-CHK2/p53-Cdc25C pathway. These findings indicated that SMYD3 plays crucial roles in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of gastric cancer cells and may be a useful therapeutic target in human gastric carcinomas.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.62-70
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• 2022

Background: Maternal Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) infection during pregnancy has been associated with various mental illnesses in the offspring. Ginsenoside Rh2 (GRh2) is a major bioactive compound obtained from ginseng that has an anti-T. gondii effect and attenuates microglial activation through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway. GRh2 also alleviated tumor-associated or lipopolysaccharide-induced depression. However, the effects and potential mechanisms of GRh2 on depression-like behavior in mouse offspring caused by maternal T. gondii infection during pregnancy have not been investigated. Methods: We examined GRh2 effects on the depression-like behavior in mouse offspring, caused by maternal T. gondii infection during pregnancy, by measuring depression-like behaviors and assaying parameters at the neuronal and molecular level. Results: We showed that GRh2 significantly improved behavioral measures: sucrose consumption, forced swim time and tail suspended immobility time of their offspring. These corresponded with increased tissue concentrations of 5-hydroxytryptamine and dopamine, and attenuated indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase or enhanced tyrosine hydroxylase expression in the prefrontal cortex. GRh2 ameliorated neuronal damage in the prefrontal cortex. Molecular docking results revealed that GRh2 binds strongly to both TLR4 and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that GRh2 ameliorated the depression-like behavior in mouse offspring of maternal T. gondii infection during pregnancy by attenuating the excessive activation of microglia and neuroinflammation through the HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. It suggests that GRh2 could be considered a potential therapy in preventing and treating psychiatric disorders in the offspring mice of mothers with prenatal exposure to T. gondii infection.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.4-14
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• 2023

This study aimed to discuss mental health services for children and adolescents that are being implemented as initiatives of the Korean government and to review the functions and roles of these projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three government departments are in charge of providing mental health services for children and adolescents: Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Ministry of Health and Welfare. The Ministry of Education has implemented several policies to facilitate the early detection of mental health issues among school students (from preventive interventions to selective interventions for high-risk students). The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family additionally serves out-of-school children and adolescents by facilitating early identification of adolescents in crises and providing temporary protection or emergency assistance (as required) through the Community Youth Safety-Net Project. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Welfare operates relevant mental health agencies for individuals of all ages including children and adolescents. Any high-risk students who have been screened through the projects of the Ministry of Education are supported through referrals to the following institutions for appropriate treatment of their symptoms: specialized hospitals, the Youth Counseling and Welfare Center operated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the National Youth Healing Center, the Mental Health Welfare Center operated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Suicide Prevention Center, and the Child Welfare Center. To assist students who are facing any psychological difficulties because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Education has established a psychiatric support group for providing emergency mental health care; furthermore, schools are promoting psychological surveillance (e.g., provision of non-face-to-face counseling services that are centered around the Wee Center). The Ministry of Education, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and Ministry of Health and Welfare have provided varied mental health support services in order to address the challenges faced by children and adolescents during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the mental health services operated by each ministry do show some limitations because their service provision system is insufficiently collaborative. The present study discussed the positive effects of each initiative as well as its limitations; furthermore, it suggested improvements for facilitating the healthy development of children and adolescents' mental health.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.291-301
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• 2018

To shorten the production cycle of Zaodan, this study first pickled Zaodan by a novel technology - vacuum decompression technology. Vacuum decompression technology could reduce the pickling time of Zaodan from 20 wk to about 9 wk. The protein content, moisture and pH of the Zaodan egg white gradually decreased with a concomitant increase in salt during the pickling process. The total sulfhydryl group (SH) group content of the egg white proteins was increased to $2.43{\times}10^{-3}mol/L$ after being pickled for 30 d, whereas the content of disulphide bonds (SS) was reduced to $23.35{\times}10^{-3}mol/L$. The surface hydrophobicity was lowest after pickling for 30 d. In addition, great changes occurred in the secondary structure of the egg white proteins after pickling for 20 d. The disappearance of ovomucin was noticeable based on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.2292-2300
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• 2018

A field-circuit coupling model of a typical faulty generator is established to correct through-bolt end-region overheating and breakdown failure in a tubular hydro-generator. Using the model, eddy current loss and electromagnetic forces on through bolts under normal and failure conditions are analyzed and compared and the natural frequency of a through bolt is determined. Based on the analysis results, the causative mechanism of failure is revealed and targeted improvement design measures are proposed. The numerical results are found to be consistent with the actual fault characteristics, validating the design measure improvements. The results are useful in improving the design and manufacturing standards and enhancing the operational reliability of large tubular hydro-generators.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.88-93
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• 2010

Superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase (CAT) play crucial roles in balancing the production and decomposition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in living organisms. These enzymes act cooperatively and synergistically to scavenge ROS. In order to imitate the synergism of these enzymes, we designed and synthesized a novel 32-mer peptide (32P) on the basis of the previous 15-mer peptide with GPX activity and a 17-mer peptide with SOD activity. Upon the selenation and chelation of copper, the 32-mer peptide was converted to a new Se- and Cu-containing 32-mer peptide (Se-Cu-32P) that displayed both SOD and GPX activities, and its kinetics was studied. Moreover, the novel peptide was demonstrated to be able to better protect vero cells from the injury induced by the xanthine oxidase (XOD)/xanthine/$Fe^{2+}$ damage system than its parents. Thus, this bifunctional enzyme imitated the synergism of SOD and GPX and could be a better candidate of therapeutic medicine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.762-769
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• 2020

Vitamin K2 (menaquinone) is an essential vitamin existing in the daily diet, and menaquinone-7 (MK-7) is an important form of it. In a recent work, we engineered the synthesis modules of MK-7 in Bacillus subtilis, and the strain BS20 could produce 360 mg/l MK-7 in shake flasks, while the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway, which provides the precursor isopentenyl diphosphate for MK-7 synthesis, was not engineered. In this study, we overexpressed five genes of the MEP pathway in BS20 and finally obtained a strain (BS20DFHG) with MK-7 titer of 415 mg/l in shake flasks. Next, we optimized the fermentation process parameters (initial pH, temperature and aeration) in an 8-unit parallel bioreactor system consisting of 300-ml glass vessels. Based on this, we scaled up the MK-7 production by the strain BS20DFHG in a 50-l bioreactor, and the highest MK-7 titer reached 242 mg/l. Here, we show that the engineered strain BS20DFHG may be used for the industrial production of MK-7 in the future.